How to fix 'Error response from daemon: network … has active endpoints'

What this error means

Docker refuses to remove a network while containers or tasks are still attached to it. The daemon reports:

Error response from daemon: network <name_or_id> has active endpoints

An "endpoint" is a container’s attachment to the network. Remove or detach all endpoints, then delete the network.

Quickstart

• List who’s using the network:
  • docker ps --filter network=<network>
  • docker network inspect <network>
• Stop/remove or disconnect containers:
  • docker rm -f <container> OR
  • docker network disconnect [-f] <network> <container>
• For Docker Compose: docker compose down -v
• For Swarm services: remove or detach the service from the network
• Finally: docker network rm <network>

Minimal working example

# 1) Reproduce the error
docker network create demo_net

docker run -d --name web --network demo_net nginx:alpine

# Fails because web is attached
docker network rm demo_net
# Error response from daemon: network demo_net has active endpoints

# 2) Fix
# Option A: disconnect then remove network
docker network disconnect demo_net web

docker network rm demo_net

# Option B: remove container(s) then remove network
docker rm -f web

docker network rm demo_net

Step-by-step resolution

1. Identify the network and its attachments

• List networks:
  • docker network ls
• Inspect attachments (shows Containers map):
  • docker network inspect <network>
• Quick list of containers connected by name:
  • docker ps --format '{{.ID}}\t{{.Names}}\t{{.Networks}}' | grep <network>

1. Detach or remove connected containers

• Graceful stop and remove:
  • docker stop <container> && docker rm <container>
• Hard remove if needed:
  • docker rm -f <container>
• Detach without removing the container:
  • docker network disconnect <network> <container>
  • Add -f to disconnect even if the container is running

1. Remove the network

• docker network rm <network>

1. If the network is still reported as in use

• Containers might auto-restart and reattach. Temporarily disable restart policy:
  • docker update --restart=no <container>
• Check for paused or dead containers still attached:
  • docker ps -a --filter network=<network>
• Force disconnect any lingering endpoints you see in inspect:
  • docker network disconnect -f <network> <container_id>
• If there are no containers but inspect still shows endpoints, restart Docker then retry:
  • sudo systemctl restart docker
  • docker network rm <network>

Docker Compose scenarios

Default Compose networks are named <project>_default unless overridden.

# compose.yaml
services:
  app:
    image: nginx:alpine
    networks:
      - webnet
networks:
  webnet:
    driver: bridge

Common fixes:

• Stop stack and remove networks:
  • docker compose down -v
• Remove only the network (after containers are down):
  • docker network rm <project>_webnet
• Identify Compose-managed networks:
  • docker network ls --filter label=com.docker.compose.project=<project>

Swarm and overlay networks

Overlay networks are used by services and tasks. You cannot remove the network while any service references it.

• List services using a network (by name or ID):
  • docker service ls
  • docker service inspect <service> --format '{{json .Spec.TaskTemplate.Networks}}'
• Detach a network from a service:
  • docker service update --network-rm <network> <service>
• Remove the service, then the network:
  • docker service rm <service>
  • docker network rm <network>
• If multiple services use the network, detach/remove each first.

Bulk cleanup

• Remove all unused networks not referenced by any container:
  • docker network prune
  • Add -f to skip confirmation in automated scripts
• Remove containers attached to a specific network, then the network:
  • docker rm -f $(docker ps -aq --filter network=<network>)
  • docker network rm <network>

Troubleshooting corner cases

• Default networks cannot be removed: bridge, host, none
• Stale endpoints after crashes:
  • Restart the Docker daemon and try again
  • If still stuck, ensure no containers or services reference the network across all nodes (in Swarm)
• Anonymous networks created by Compose for external links may persist until compose down -v is run
• Network names vs IDs:
  • If names collide, prefer network ID in commands (from docker network ls)

Pitfalls

• Forcing disconnect on running workloads can drop live traffic
• Auto-restart policies can immediately reattach containers after you disconnect them
• Removing a network does not remove containers; they will fall back to remaining networks or lose connectivity
• In Swarm, you must detach the network from every service on every node; task churn can momentarily recreate attachments during rolling updates

Performance notes

• docker ps --filter network=<network> scales well compared to parsing full inspect output
• docker network prune scans networks and performs safety checks; avoid running it frequently on large hosts during peak load
• Removing large overlay networks in busy Swarm clusters can trigger control-plane work; prefer maintenance windows for bulk network changes
• Using targeted disconnect/remove commands is faster and safer than broad prune operations

Fast reference

• Show who is attached:
  • docker ps --filter network=<network>
  • docker network inspect <network>
• Disconnect a container:
  • docker network disconnect [-f] <network> <container>
• Remove a network:
  • docker network rm <network>
• Compose teardown:
  • docker compose down -v
• Swarm detach:
  • docker service update --network-rm <network> <service>

FAQ

Q: Why can’t I remove the bridge/host/none network? A: They are system networks created by Docker and cannot be removed.

Q: Does removing a network delete containers? A: No. It only removes the virtual network. Containers may lose connectivity.

Q: How do I quickly find containers using a network? A: docker ps --filter network=<network> or docker network inspect <network>.

Q: Can I disconnect a running container? A: Yes. Use docker network disconnect -f <network> <container>. Proceed carefully to avoid traffic loss.